"the main exercises i did shouldnt surprise you: donkey calf raises, standing calf raises, seated calf raises and leg press calf raises - up to six sets of each for 10-20 reps. but more important than the exercise i was doing, or the number of sets and reps i performed, was HOW i did them. to develop your calves to their potential, you must take each rep through a complete range of motion. this means getting a full stretch at the bottom and forcing yourself up as high as possible on your toes at the top. again, it's about progression: if youre using 1,000 pounds but cant go all the way up, youre training too heavy and wasting your time. the goal is to lift the heaviest weight possible that still allows you to use a full range of motion.
i also used other techniques to squeeze out every last bit of intensity and spark new growth. other than doing forced reps with the help of a partner, my favorite techniques were peak contractions and what i used to call a "pumping action" peak contraction is simply a matter of holding the top of each rep and squeezing the calves for 3-4 counts before lowering the weight. this was very painful, but i always relished the muscle burn and felt it would only make me bigger. the pumping action would usually take place at the end of a set of, say, seated calf raises or leg press calf raises. after i couldnt do any more full-range-of-motion reps i finished the set by doing short, quick reps (not quite all the way up or down) for as long as possible until my calves were screaming. i felt this action really chiseled the outer section of my calves for championship form."
exercise
donkey calf raise 5-6 sets 15-20 reps
standing calf raise 5-6 sets 10-20 reps
seated calf raise or leg press calf raise 4-5 sets 10-15*
*emplying "pumping" reps at the end of each set.
